


Family Business

by TaylorMade



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Daleks - Freeform, F/F, thasmin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-24
Updated: 2019-05-24
Packaged: 2020-03-13 11:35:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18940111
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TaylorMade/pseuds/TaylorMade
Summary: The children of Jack Harkness find themselves divided when they stumble across a helpless creature that may become violent if it survives. It's up to the Doctor and her friends to help settle an age-old debate: Which will prove stronger? Nurture or Nature?





	1. Chapter 1

It was quiet aboard the TARDIS, which was part of the pattern, really, after such an eventful day. Even though there had been no great philosophical or moral issues to sort out, rescuing an entire town from raging wildfires with virtually no resources was - if nothing else - horribly draining. 

Graham, covered in soot and ash as they all were, was so exhausted he actually had to be reminded to shower before he passed out across his bed. Ryan had been right on his grandfather's heels, clearly desperate to scrub the Vanarian child's peeled-off flesh from his own arms. At least the girl would survive, thanks to a fire resistant emergency blanket, Ryan's quick thinking and his stubborn refusal to abandon her during a flash-over. It had been Yaz who had lingered in the control room, subtly making sure the Doctor was okay, before finally heading towards her bathroom.

As soon as they were all gone, the Doctor had had the TARDIS check on them. She had laughed fondly to find that Graham, scrubbed clean, had only made it as far as the recliner in his room before he'd passed out. Ryan was in his bed with his headphones on, though even on the monitor the Doctor could hear him snoring. 

Yaz, predictably, wasn't asleep yet, but kneeling on her prayer mat. There was no way to accurately guess "East" inside the time stream, so Yaz had simply chosen a wall and hung a painting of a sunrise on it before carefully positioning her mat. It was "East" enough, as she'd hopefully reasoned. The Doctor smiled, trying valiantly to ignore the tug at her hearts, as Yaz finished and finally began to prepare for bed.

Hours passed without incident. It was like a balm to know her friends were tucked safely in their rooms with her ship traveling gently through the void. Meanwhile she, freshly showered, could work quietly and think and talk to her TARDIS. She found herself marveling at the way these lulls felt calming now. As always, there was running, danger, excitement, puzzles, and defending the downtrodden. But then there was also peace and tranquility and friends coexisting... It soothed this regeneration in a way it hadn't done for the others. She still loved a good adventure, but before she'd always felt dissatisfied with downtime.

 _'Perhaps I'm mellowing a bit in my old age,'_ she thought wryly.

The psychic paper in her pocket (oh, how she loved those pockets!) chose that moment to alert her to a message. She opened it and hummed thoughtfully.

 _"June 16, 2021... 10:30 a.m. Come to Earth."_ The note came with a set of coordinates. 

The Doctor checked the computer. The others would be waking up and drifting in at any moment anyway, so rather than disturb them she waited. Less than an hour later, everyone was standing around with her, munching on bagels and sipping coffee.

"You're quiet this morning," Yaz noted, studying the other woman's face. "Something's going on, isn't it?"

"Perceptive as always," the Doctor smiled and then showed them the message. "A call for help, maybe."

"Sounds like they're specifically talking to you," Ryan noted. "And not waking us? Waiting? You concerned it's a trap or something?"

The Doctor shrugged. "Walked into plenty of those. I'm still here. We're three centuries past the date right now, so there was no rush. Just got to input the date and place and take off... If you lot are up for it."

"I'd be lying if I said I weren't curious," Yaz replied. "If it's an old friend of yours I'd like to meet them."

"And if it's a trap," Ryan added. "It might be best to spring it so whoever it is doesn't try again later, yeah?"

Graham just gave a nod and a shrug. The Doctor grinned at them all.

"Right then!" And, just like that, she went into what Graham privately called her "Hurricane Doctor" mode, spinning around the console and manipulating controls like a madwoman.

"Where do those coordinates place us, exactly?" Yaz asked, grabbing the nearest bit of TARDIS for support as the little blue box jolted sharply into motion.

"America," the Doctor said. "Bit of a nasty year, truthfully... What with the political discord and all..."

"Discord?" Graham asked.

"Well, with two suspicious presidential elections in a row, it's not that surprising. A second Civil War is looming, but this time there are no neat borders separating the two sides. It's a real mess. But, don't worry - looks like we're setting down in a pretty remote area. The town that used to be here is nearly completely leveled."

The ship settled with a heavy thud and the Doctor took a moment to confirm their temporal and physical coordinates. Then the four exited to find themselves in an empty field, miles from anything, standing beneath an unforgiving summer sun. The heat would have been bad on its own, but the added level of humidity was murderous. A quick glance at their surroundings revealed a single, rundown warehouse, or perhaps a disused factory, off to the far right and slightly behind them. All the rest was overgrown and largely dried-out plant life. 

"See?" The Doctor said. "Reclaimed by nature."

"I don't see anyone," Ryan said, scanning across the high grass. "S'pose someone's hiding in the weeds?"

"Yeah, who're we looking for, Doc?" Graham shielded his eyes from the sun with one hand and gestured around with the other. "No one to meet us from the looks of it."

"They'll turn up," the Doctor said. "Or we'll find them... Though we _are_ right on time, so it's a bit rude, them not showing. S'pose they're fashionably late? How late is _'fashionable'_ anyway? I've never really been sure..."

" _I_ brought you here." The voice that drew their attention held a clear, confident tone and an accent that was distinctly American. The group turned as one and rounded the TARDIS cautiously. There, on the side opposite the doors, they found a woman with long brown hair, curling wildly away from her face, leaning casually against their ship. Pale purple glasses sat on her nose with intelligent blue eyes flashing behind them. She smirked a bit and gestured with one arm towards the dilapidated building. "Welcome to the Harkness family research facility."

"Sorry," the Doctor nearly squeaked. "Did you say Harkness? As in _Jack_ Harkness?"

"That's right," the woman said as she gestured toward a narrow, weather-beaten footpath and led them down to an open bay door in the building. "He's our father. If you're who I think you are, you'll probably recognize our names, too." 

She ignored the Doctor's questioning glance and instead guided them inside. As soon as they were in, the woman pulled a thick looped chain to close the bay with a horrible clatter. Ryan let out an involuntary sound of relief when the air conditioning washed over his skin. The others were already studying the facility's layout when he finally opened his eyes. 

The interior was a triple-layered floor plan. They had entered on the middle level, a meter and a half from the first of six ladders that would take a worker down to a series of industrial panels set below a built-in ledge atop which perched a row of individual computers. The lower deck ran a semi-circle around the room, cutting a slightly misshapen crescent out of the main floor. A console panel that looked vaguely like an extra-large version of the one in the TARDIS stood at the heart of the central deck and several smaller work stations were spaced around it. Three sets of metal stairs stood equidistant from each other, going up to a row of what looked to be offices well above the general fray. No one else was immediately visible.

"So, you brought us here," Yaz repeated. "But _why_?"

The woman leading them didn't answer immediately. Instead, looking slightly exasperated, she paused at the railing that lined the middle deck and called down into the lower platform which she'd long ago dubbed The Pit. "Can't you leave that alone for now? The Doctor is here." She received no reply and sighed heavily. "Sis, are you with us?" 

There was no answer. Graham exchanged a look with the Doctor and Yaz, but they, too, said nothing.

"S.J." The woman sing-songed, with the same result. 

The Doctor frowned and peered down to see the back of a blonde head, hunched over an open panel of circuits. Wires snaked around the shoulders and lap of the unresponsive woman, completely obscuring her clothing.

Annoyed, the brunette before her grabbed one of many spongy balls from a bucket hanging from the rail and threw it with alarming accuracy into the center of her target's neck. The Doctor decided this must be a common occurrence. 

" ** _SARAH JANE!_** " The first woman bellowed.

"Huh?" The second woman finally turned and blinked up at them, just as Yaz peered over the Doctor's shoulder. "Hey, who're _they_?"

"Assassins, here for your head," her sister deadpanned. "Not that _you'd_ ever hear them coming. Come up from there."

S.J. complied without argument, brushing away the wires and all but leaping flat-footed from the lower deck. She pushed a pair of safety goggles from her nose to the top of her head and grinned at her sister. 

"Who are they _really_?"

"I'm the Doctor," the Doctor began. "And this is - "

"Are you really!" The blonde squealed and pulled the Doctor into what - for a human - would have been a bone-crushing hug. "Daddy's told us _so much_ about you! Oh my _god_ , Rosie's going to _freak_ when she hears that you're - Wait, you're a girl..." Strong hands found the Doctor's shoulders and pushed her slightly back. S.J. gave her a head-to-toe once-over as if to confirm her own statement, head slightly cocked. "I could've sworn dad used male pronouns... Do you prefer male pronouns?"

"Oh, no," the Doctor laughed. "It was an earlier regeneration that met Jack. I definitely use female pronouns. I'm even used to them now. Well... Mostly..." S.J. nodded and the Doctor grinned at her. "So... Sarah Jane, eh? And there's a Rose?"

"Yep! And a Martha. She's somewhere near the dam right now, collecting samples."

"And that makes you..." The Doctor turned to their guide.

"Donna."

"Ah. Suits you, actually..."

"So, what's going on here?" Ryan asked. "Why'd you send that message?"

"We've found something that may be of interest to the Doctor," Donna replied before turning to the woman in question. "Though I'm sure you'd like some proof that we _are_ who we say we are before continuing."

"That would be nice," the Doctor agreed.

"Daddy's upstairs," S.J. pointed to the upper deck. "Only office with a working light." Her smile had faltered and she tried in vain to force it back in place. "Tread lightly, though, okay? He's... Well, he's having trouble adjusting..."

"What d'you mean?" Yaz pressed. "Adjusting to what?"

The sisters seemed to have a silent, heavy exchange before S.J. hung her head and retreated back to her circuit boards below. Donna's expression had turned grim. "You'll see."

A sudden realization passed through the Doctor's eyes. "Right then. Come on, fam. Time for you lot to meet a very old friend."


	2. Chapter 2

The industrial stairs that led to the offices had seen better days. Graham did his best to ignore the amount of rust on the rail, reasoning that it had held up so far. Reminding himself that Donna hadn't fallen through and broken her neck helped, too. It seemed darker up here than it had below.

"Ever thought about fixing the lights?" Yaz asked. That's when Graham realized that the only lights were coming from the computers below. There had simply been so many of them that it hadn't been immediately obvious that the fluorescent bulbs hanging over their heads were blown out.

_'Charred black, in fact,'_ he thought.

"We had a power surge," Donna explained. "The Stations and dad's office run off an independent power grid, but everything else got fried." She stopped outside an office with a pale yellow light glowing under the door. "Pardon the mess," she whispered. "Like S.J. said, he's - "

"Donna?" Jack called. "Is that you? What's going on out there?"

Graham watched as the woman's face tensed and then seemed to forcibly relax. He blinked and shot the Doctor a questioning look, but her face had turned grim as well. Then she, too, softened and nodded to Donna. Their host opened the office and they all filed in.

"Glad you're awake, dad," Donna said. "We have company."

Ahead of him, Ryan and Yaz had frozen. There, on the desk, sat a velvet-covered pillow with a decapitated head perched carefully on top. A few wires were attached to it, like electrodes from an EEG, connecting what could only be this "Jack" to a computer. Cables and monitors with a myriad of readouts littered the floor surrounding his desk. It was hard not to stare. Impossibly, the head turned towards them and flashed what would have been an exceptionally charming smile if not for their collective shock. Then he spoke.

"Well, hello, _company_ ," he purred as he surveyed them one by one. "Very nice... And here I thought my daughter was going to let me waste away up here with no contact with any eligible partners all. And I have so badly missed the _intimacy_ of new friends..."

"Dad..." Donna's voice held a note of warning, which he ignored.

"Captain Jack Harkness," he introduced himself. Just his name, the way he said it, sounded like a pick-up line - and a well-used one. He hummed at them appreciatively. "A silver fox, a _strapping_ specimen of a man, and a perfect little beauty..." He singled each of them out before turning to the Doctor. "Ooh-ho, and _you_ , blondie... I'm liking those blue pants... I'm rather fond of blue... And blondes..." His smile seemed to grow fonder, as if reminiscing. "And if I still had hands, I could show you a use for those suspenders..."

"Stop it."

He froze, the seductive charmer instantly gone. There was a familiar note in her voice, a familiar expression on her face and... There were those exceptionally recognizable old, old eyes.

" _Doctor?!_ " Jack almost sputtered. She merely raised an eyebrow to confirm it.

" _Blondes_ and _suspenders_?" She drawled. " _That's_ your new line? Bit weak for you, innit?"

"And on that note," Donna smirked. "I'm out of here. Work to do, and all..." She slipped out of the room and Graham could hear her clomping down those sketchy stairs. Her father ignored her. He was fixated on his old friend's new face, which was carefully impassive.

"You haven't asked how," Jack said as soon as his daughter's footsteps had echoed away.

"No need to," the Doctor shrugged, not quite looking at him. "These are my friends... Yaz, Graham, and Ryan... Meet Jack. He's an old friend."

"You knew." It wasn't a question. It was just nearly an accusation.

"Yes and no," she replied. "First time I met you, it was far into your future. I didn't realize you were the same person until after the Year That Never Was..."

"What happened then? To let you know?"

"You said your people called you the Face of Boe." She risked a glance at his now-stony expression. "That's what you called yourself when we met. But even then, I didn't know how... Not until I heard about the Headless Monks at Demon's Run..."

"And you didn't warn me."

"I _met_ you in your _future_ , Jack!" She snapped, locking eyes with him at last. "Warning you might've stopped us meeting at all and could've unravelled a great big part of both our lives! Would you give up everything you might've lost? All those people, Jack... People I _know_ you love... And _will_ love! Think about them... Cut from your life before they ever had a chance to enter it... What would you have done in my place?"

Though her tone had calmed after her initial sharp retort, the fire in her eyes had remained. She knew him, knew what mattered to him. No matter how he felt right now, he couldn't trade his children - or his history with their namesakes - for anything. She was right and he admitted as much.

"I'm sorry..." He looked away. 

The tension left her and she stepped towards him. "How long ago was it for you?"

"Six months," he muttered. "Give or take... The twins found me. Or what was left of me... I wasn't exactly coherent... They said they couldn't find my body. If they had, I would've tried to see if my unique healing abilities would've allowed me to reattach..."

"Which ones are the twins?" Yaz asked. Graham smiled briefly. Leave it to Yaz to find the one calming topic in a conversational minefield.

"Donna and Johnny," Jack supplied.

"Oh, we only met S.J. and Donna," Ryan chimed in. "But they only mentioned two other sisters, no brothers..."

"Actually, two of my sons are here... Mickey's probably deep into some project or another and Johnny..." He mulled it over for a moment. "I'd guess John's probably gone off looking for supplies. Three EF-5 tornadoes tore through town this past spring. Alien shielding: that's the only reason this place is still here. And it looks like most of the people who escaped aren't coming back. Unfortunately, that includes store owners. It's slim pickings. We've had to scrounge. If it weren't for the food growing in Martha's greenhouse, I think my kids would've found us a new post entirely."

"Yeah, about them..." The Doctor fixed him with a would-be stern glare. "Interesting names they've got..."

"I wanted them to have names you'd be drawn to," he admitted, a bit sheepishly. "In case they ever needed you."

"Like now?"

"Like now."

"Tell me."

"They've found something... Dug it up when they were cleaning out debris left from the storms. Well, to say they're divided on how to proceed would be like describing water as wet."

"No offense, mate," Graham interjected. "But this sounds like a family dispute so far. What's the emergency?"

"The emergency..." the head sighed. "The emergency is that what they've found is, essentially, an infant."

"An infant?" Yaz echoed.

"Yeah. An infant dalek."


End file.
